
Living authentically, inspiring others, and embracing your role as both teacher and student in life’s endless stream of lessons. That is the art of being.
Three years ago, someone asked me, “If you could teach anything, what would it be?” Honestly, the question caught me off guard. I didn’t have an answer. It’s such a big question that it’s been stuck in my head ever since.
You see, I’ve been a teacher for 38 years. My whole career has been teaching special education and focusing on emotional intelligence. I’ve always loved helping people find their strengths and use them to navigate life with happiness, health and success.
But in all those years, I never stopped to ask myself, “What would I teach if I could choose anything?” I didn’t think I needed to. I was just Ronit, the teacher, doing what I do best.
That question changed things for me and took me through a process of discovery. It made me think about life, about what I’ve learned, and what I really want to give to the world. Maybe by sharing the process of my discovery about the art of being, I can help you think about your own answers too.
Forever students and teachers
We also learn just by watching others. No one has to sit us down and explain things—we pick up lessons on our own.
When I started thinking about this, I realized that when I chose to study special education nearly 40 years ago, I was answering that same big question: “What would you teach?” Back then, my answer was shaped by who I was at the time. Today, it might be a little different.
Let’s forget for a moment about careers, degrees, or whether you even want to be a teacher. Let’s think about life. In a way, we’re all teachers, and we’re all students.
Every day, life teaches us something new. Every person we meet, every interaction or transaction, everything we experience teaches us something and we are forever, students of life.
Sometimes, what seemingly looks like the same things that happen to us will not bring us to the same conclusions. Why? Because we are not the same people, we were the last time it happened. It is never the same lesson, and we are not the same students.
What’s amazing is that two people can go through the same event and come away with completely different lessons. Even when the same thing happens to us twice, it will not bring us to the same conclusions. Why? Because we are not the same people, we were the last time it happened. It is never the same lesson, and we are not the same students.
We also learn just by watching others. No one has to sit us down and explain things—we pick up lessons on our own.
When I started thinking about this, I realized that when I chose to study special education nearly 40 years ago, I was answering that same big question: “What would you teach?” Back then, my answer was shaped by who I was at the time.
Today, I’m different.
Teaching as a gift
Teaching is more than a job. It’s about leaving your mark on the world. It’s your gift to humanity.
When I was younger, my gift was clear. I struggled as a child, and I wanted to help other kids avoid the pain I went through. I wanted to save them.
I decided that if I could help just three children every year, it would be enough. I believed those three children would go on to help others, creating a ripple effect of kindness and understanding. By helping them, I would contribute to a better world. That thought filled me with purpose.
When I went through my education degree, we talked a lot about the impact teachers have on their students. One activity stuck with me: we had to think about a teacher who had changed our lives.
It was harder than you’d think. Out of the hundreds of teachers I’d had, I could only name two or three who made a real difference, who contributed to who I’m and whom I carry with me into my adulthood and my desire to help others become the best version of themselves.
That realization of me having only two or three teachers that could fit those criteria was both shocking and inspiring. (lucky me, during my degree, added to it 6 more teachers, even one horrible teacher that contributed greatly to who I am today)
I decided I wanted to be one of those unforgettable teachers for my students. I wanted to be someone they’d remember, not for the subject I taught, but for the way I made them feel and the way I believed in them.
The Ripple Effect

When I opened my early childhood center, Garden of Eden, I found a way to expand my impact. Instead of helping one child at a time, I could support their parents too.
If parents knew how to nurture their kids’ potential, they could make a difference not just for one child, but for their whole family. Before the early childhood center, it was one kid at a time, after, it was one family at a time. It was like multiplying the ripple effect.
Later, I started mentoring teachers. That took things to a whole new level. By helping other teachers see their potential, I could touch the lives of hundreds, maybe even thousands—of students. Suddenly, my gift, my mark, expanded so much that I was motivated, empowered, to do my job, to get up in the morning, to live my purpose.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that teaching isn’t just about the subject or what you do in the classroom. It’s about how you live your life. It’s about the lessons you leave behind for others, whether they’re your students, their parents, their teachers, your own children, your friends or even strangers who cross your path.
What Would I Teach?
Three years ago, when I was asked, “If you could teach anything, what would it be?” I didn’t know how to answer. There were so many things I wanted to teach that I couldn’t pick just one.
For three years, I kept coming back to that question. Every time, I’d try to narrow it down, but I never could.
Then, one day, it hit me: I don’t have to choose.
I’m already a teacher, whether I’m in a classroom or not. Every day, I teach… being by being myself. I live by my values, and I try to lead by example.
I’ve realized that teaching isn’t about standing in front of a class or following a lesson plan. It’s about being authentic. It’s about living in a way that inspires others to learn and grow.
We Are All Teachers and Students

This brings me back to the idea that we’re all teachers, and we’re all students.
Think about your own life. You are a teacher too, a teacher of life. The way you live, the choices you make, the way you treat people—it’s all teaching someone something. Even if you don’t realize it, you’re leaving a mark on the world and making a difference.
At the same time, life is constantly teaching you. Every mistake, every success, every interaction is a lesson. You are a student of life. As long as you are alive you are learning, and this learning becomes that thing you give the world.
The Art of Being
If I had to pick one thing to teach, it would be the art of being.
By that, I mean living authentically. Being true to yourself. Showing up in the world as the best version of yourself, flaws and all.
When you live this way, you teach others to do the same. You inspire them to embrace their uniqueness and strive for their own version of happiness and success.
So, if you’re ever asked, “What would you teach?”, remember this: You’re already teaching, just by being you.
My final choice
That one question – “If you could teach anything, what would it be?” – changed the way I see myself and my role in the world. It reminded me that teaching is about more than subjects or classrooms. It’s about connection, inspiration, and leaving a legacy of kindness and growth.
You don’t have to be a teacher by profession to make a difference. You don’t have to be young to be student. You just have to… be. Live your life in a way that teaches others something meaningful.
When we embrace both roles – teacher and student – we can make a bigger impact and our purpose to make this world a better place, will be fulfilled.
If I do want to sum up the subject, I would teach the art of being! By example!
Happy teaching and happy learning.
Hugs,
Ronit